This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

If there's a silver lining in the cloud of pollution hanging over the valley it's that it is impossible to deny the toxins we're putting into the atmosphere  not just in January and February  when we can physically taste them throughout the year.

For me, days of inversion also provide an unsettling object lesson. To compensate for the poisonous surroundings, I change my routine from things I'd naturally do. I can easily see how our living planet could be struggling to do the same.

Our way out is to take personal responsibility to pollute less, to support scientists and entrepreneurs in their exploration of clean energy, and to demand the same from our elected leaders.